


but baby did it taste as sweet as my love for you?

by jbhmalum



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, ace!malum, halloween fic, probably didn't need to add that one but i value malum being ace a whole lot, some would even say, this prompt was just an excuse for me to write malum fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27227836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jbhmalum/pseuds/jbhmalum
Summary: Calum is going to kill Michael.Now, that thought rarely ever crosses Calum’s mind, because most days, he loves Michael. Because Michael is the love of his life and Calum wouldn’t even dream of wanting to hurt him. But then his boyfriend goes and eats the candyhe’d picked out for the kids, leaving Calum like an idiot and candy-less with the little monsters waiting at the door.*Prompt: Person A finds out that Person B ate all the candy that was supposed to be for the Trick-or-Treaters.
Relationships: Michael Clifford/Calum Hood
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	but baby did it taste as sweet as my love for you?

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my contribution for the Halloween-themed fic writers event ([here](https://maluminspace.tumblr.com/post/633498537784721408) is the masterlist with everyone's works!). also my first ever fic event! exciting exciting  
> The prompt I chose was: "Person A finds out that Person B ate all the candy that was supposed to be for the Trick-or-Treaters." for Malum  
> also this isn't on tumblr because I actually deleted my blog after signing up for this so yeah here it is instead!
> 
> Also Michael is definitely inspired by one of my friends so s/o to her lol thanks for being my inspo unknowingly.
> 
> Enjoy and happy Halloween xx

Calum has always had mixed feelings about Halloween.

He doesn’t hate it, per se. In fact, he thinks that the idea of kids hanging out together dressed as things that would usually scare the crap out of them isn’t a bad thing. It might actually be good for them in some weird cathartic way. And, yeah, Calum knows the celebration is far from what the Celts intended it to be and that maybe, possibly the Christians have also fucked that up by appropriating it, but hey. He doesn’t have time to worry about that. It’s cute, watching kids run around in ridiculous costumes all day and teens trying to look cooler than they really do when they come knocking after sundown.

So, Calum likes that part of Halloween. The fun, cute part. What _others_ do.

What Calum has always, _always_ despised with fervour, is the over the top spooky season–carved pumpkins spirit being everywhere in the house for almost two months. Just– _why_? Why do people insist on putting him through this?

When he was a child, his sister was the Halloween fangirl of the house. And their parents didn’t really dislike it, so _of course_ when she’d ask to decorate the house with twelve pumpkins and orange ( _fucking orange_ ) tinsels and to use fucking skeleton napkins, they’d say yes. Because sweet Mali-Koa likes Halloween, so we’ll let her be the interior designer for two whole months! The worst part: that wasn’t just when she was six years old. Even to this day she’s still a Halloween freak. Respectfully.

Their parents were fond of it, Calum knows they were. Even grew to love it themselves. Which is why when Mali moved out of the house at nineteen, making Calum ecstatic that he would spend a boring, tame Halloween, Calum came home one day after school in _September_ to a house as overly full of black and orange as it usually was this time of the year.

“Why did you do that?” annoyed hormonal teenage Calum had asked.

"Isn't it lovely?” His mother had said, showing the mini lantern pumpkins on the sideboard. “We don’t even need your sister to do it now!”

Needless to say, when Calum moved into his own house some six years later, he was happy to have his house look normal all year round. A couple garlands on Christmas with a tiny tree, and nothing more.

He cannot, repeat _cannot_ , believe the irony that he had to go and fall in love with someone who’s entire aesthetic is basically Halloween.

Calum lets out a chuckle into his pillow, putting away a strand of blond hair out of his boyfriend’s eyes. Extremely adorable boyfriend who’s still asleep next to him. Now he’s imagining Michael wearing orange from head to toe and– yeah no.

See, Michael isn’t that much into the whole orange thing — which, thank god for small favours — although he likes a pumpkin or two here and there. No, Michael is more into the skeletons and witches and vampires vibes. All year round. Michael is super nerdy and loves everything emo or out of the ordinary, whatever the ordinary is supposed to be, and he wears nothing but black and eyeliner — which is admittedly incredibly hot — and he has a little spooky skeleton on his phone case and– it’s cute, okay? Calum fell in love with him looking exactly like that and he knew he was into everything that Calum has never given a rat’s ass about, and he wouldn’t have him any other way, because then it wouldn’t be _Michael_. 

But right now, like it’s been for the past three years at this time of the year, the house looks absolutely ridiculous.

It’s covered in fake spiderwebs and random black cloth and very scary looking ghost skeletons that have been giving Calum heart attacks for two months everytime he goes into the living room and, yeah, a big ass pumpkin on the coffee table.

Calum is glad he gets to take it all off tomorrow. He won’t give Michael a choice.

“Morning,” Michael whispers roughly beside him when he finally wakes up, shaking Calum out of his thoughts.

“Morning baby,” Calum replies, stroking Michael’s cheek. His skin always feels softer in the morning. “Sleep well?”

“You were comfortable, but could have been better,” Michael mumbles, burying his face into Calum’s neck. “I’m glad today is the weekend.”

“Yeah, speak for yourself.”

“Oh, come on, you’ve got a week off from, like, tomorrow.”

“How does that make up for working at the store on a Saturday that also happens to be Halloween? It’s gonna be so busy.”

“Yeah, yeah”.

Michael cuddles up to him even more, his whole body plastered against Calum, who lets out a fond laugh.

“Come on babe, some people need to get up and get to work. It’s almost noon.”

“Just five more minutes,” Michael says with a kiss to Calum’s jaw followed by another one to his cheek, and that’s when Calum knows he needs to leave before he can be too late. Lazy mornings spent being covered in his boyfriend’s kisses are too hard to escape once they’ve started. Calum knows from experience.

“No, come back,” Michael whines when Calum detangles their limbs and gets off the bed.

“You get some more sleep and I’ll see you tonight, alright?”

Michael hums, clearly not pleased. He’s always groggy when he can’t get his morning cuddles.

Calum chuckles. “Oh and enjoy your little spooky house, yeah? Cause tomorrow this is all going back into the boxes and into the closet where it belongs.”

Michael pouts. “Why are you so mean?”

“I’m not mean.”

“Well you're kind of mean cause–” 

I love you,” Calum cuts him off, bringing his lips to Michael’s forehead.

“Love you too,” Michael grumbles into Calum’s pillow where he’s migrated to.

“Okay, I need to go now. Have a nice day baby.”

With one last kiss to Michael’s forehead — he can’t help himself — he goes and gets ready for his day.

* * *

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, Cal,” Luke, his manager, tells him with a contrite look on his face. “I know your shift is supposed to end in fifteen minutes and this is a bit late, but I really need someone to help for that last hour. Looks like people are buying their candy last minute, or something.”

Calum sighs, resigned. “Yeah, no I get it.” Why is he always so nice? He should learn to say no. “I’ll stay the extra hour,” he says instead.

“Thanks, man,” Luke replies, obviously relieved. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to stay to close up, me and the others will take care of that. Just leave when it’s eight, alright?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll just go and text my boyfriend so that he doesn’t worry, okay?”

“You do that,” Luke says with a clap on Calum’s shoulder before going back to work.

Calum sighs again and heads for the locker room.

 **sorry babe, have to stay an extra hour at the store to help out :( don’t wait for me if you wanna eat or sth** , he sends after finding his phone. 

Michael’s reply comes almost instantly.

**oh okay, its fine ill probs come back same time as u anyway, i have to go help ash w his costume. last min things. take ur time**

Calum frowns. He didn’t know Ashton was going anywhere warranting a costume, but hey. He’s Michael’s friend more than his, he doesn’t have to tell Calum everything.

**k babe. YOU don’t take your time too much, yeah? giving out candy is no fun if ur not here**

**I’ll be here for the candy** , Michael replies. **and for u <3**, comes another text.

Calum smiles, puts his phone back in his locker and heads for the store again. At least he’ll have Michael to come home to after this fucking day is done.

He cannot _wait_ for it to be done.

* * *

Calum is exhausted when he finally comes home. Who would have thought working at a retail store could be so tiring? Honestly. He has to deal with angry customers all day _and_ he gets physically tired? He does _not_ get paid enough for this.

Well. It still pays the bills, which is why he hasn't left that job for almost four years. 

He takes off his shoes and makes for the kitchen, downing half the water bottle on the counter. Where he finds a post-it note in Michael’s messily adorable handwriting.

**sorry!! be right back i promise :) love you xx**

Calum smiles to himself. Michael is being awfully adorable tonight. Not that he never is, he’s usually one to yell at Calum that he loves him whenever he gets the chance, but not over text or _notes_. It’s cute, and he wishes Michael were here instead of at Ashton’s but it still warms his heart. He doesn’t stop smiling thinking about it and about cuddling with Michael on the couch tonight as he takes a quick shower, washing away the sweat accumulated from stocking shelves and running around the shop.

He’s barely out of the shower and into a comfortable tracksuit — he strictly refuses to dress up no matter how annoyed Michael gets about it — when the doorbell rings.

Calum sighs. Okay, maybe that part is cute, but he wasn’t lying when he told Michael it wasn’t as fun without him. With who is he going to judge those costumes afterwards? He better be here for the next group.

“Trick or Treat!” A bunch of high pitched voices scream to his face when he opens the door.

A dinosaur, a witch, a ghost, and… a mom. Cool. No, it’s cool that kids aren’t going out on their own. These ones don’t look older than ten years old. Or, well. Calum’s only guessing from their height, because face-wise there isn’t much to go on.

“Huh, hi,” he says, and jeez, why does he sound so _awkward_?

“Trick or Treat!” One of the kids repeats, and Calum blinks.

“Oh!” He says. “Well, I certainly don’t want a trick, so you just wait here and I’ll go and get the treats, yeah?”

The disguised heads nods and the mom gives him a small _please hurry i have thirty more houses to go and i wanna go home_ smile, which Calum can only sympathize with, and he leaves the door ajar before going to the cupboard in the kitchen where he knows all the candy they should have already put in a bowl are and– nothing. The cupboard is full of everything except candy. The one thing he needs.

Calum frowns when he checks the rest of the cupboard and still doesn't find anything. Did Michael already put it all in a bowl and Calum didn’t notice? He checks in the kitchen and in the living room, but unless Michael hid the bloody thing, which would be very counterproductive, then the candy is fucking gone.

That’s… strange. Calum remembers buying them last week with Michael while they were shopping, so he’s certain he didn’t just imagine doing that. He clearly remembers arguing about how much candy they needed to buy.

“There aren’t that many people coming to this side of town,” Calum had said, putting a pack of Haribos back on the shelves. “I think 10 family-sized bags of candy are plenty enough, Mike.”

Michael had put the bag back in the cart like the _child_ that he is.

“But what if there are more people than usual, huh?” He’d argued. “What if I just wanna give more candy to the kids cause they deserve it?”

“And give them cavities that their parents are gonna have to pay to fix?”

Calum had managed to win that one out, because he was right, plain and simple. But then he’d taken a look at what kind of candy Michael had put in the cart, and he clearly remembers going on to argue about _that_ , Michael claiming that the ones he’d chosen were the best ones, his _‘absolute favourites’_. Calum had had to remind him that it didn’t matter, that the candy wasn’t for him and–

Son of a bitch. No way.

Calum runs to Michael’s office quickly — which, how does Michael even see in there with the black cloth everywhere? — to make sure he’s not about to wrongfully accuse his boyfriend of candy theft, but then he checks the trash and sees the tiny little wrappings everywhere on the desk, and yeah. No, he’s right.

Calum is going to kill Michael.

Now, that thought rarely ever crosses Calum’s mind, because most days, he loves Michael. Because Michael is the love of his life and Calum wouldn’t even dream of wanting to hurt him. But then his boyfriend goes and eats the candy _he_ ’d picked out for the kids, leaving Calum like an idiot and candy-less with the little monsters waiting at the door.

So yeah, Calum is going to kill Michael.

He runs back to the kitchen and rummages through the cupboards for _something_ to give the kids. Nothing would happen if he didn’t find anything, he could just say _‘sorry,I have a glutton for a boyfriend so now all my candy is gone’_ , but for one, that’s embarrassing, and for two, it just feels wrong to not give out candy on Halloween. After what feels like an eternity Calum finds a bunch of hopefully not expired easter chocolate that will just have to do right now.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes when he comes back to the door. The kids are talking nonsense between themselves, but the mom couldn’t look more annoyed. “Dunno what happened to the candy, but chocolate is still a treat right?”

“Yes!” The ghost yells, almost startling Calum. “I love chocolate so much!”

“See! I knew it,” Calum says through a laugh as he puts the chocolate in their tiny little bags. He really does love making them happy.

“Thank you mister!”

“Thank you!”

“Have a good night!” Calum replies with a small smile to the mom as they all leave for the neighbours’ house.

Calum closes the door and tries to compose himself.

There’s nothing he can do about the candy, now. Nowhere’s open at this hour, at least not close to the house, and where the fuck is Michael? It’s getting closer to nine than to eight thirty, why is he not gone from Ashton’s?

 **hi baby. you’re a little shit plz come home** , he texts Michael.

Calum hopes Michael is already back in the car and can’t answer him.

* * *

Michael must have been in the car, because not even five minutes later the front door bursts open, Michael’s too cheerful voice coming through.

“Hey Cal! How was work?”

Calum gets off the couch and joins him in the doorway.

And okay, shit. Michael looks absolutely gorgeous. His hair is styled in this messy way Calum likes so much, fringe falling into his eyes that are lined with black, a bit more pronounced than usual. Calum loves seeing him makeup free, but the black brings out his eyes so beautifully it’s unreal.

Calum looks away from his face, and, well. Is Michael out to get him? Is this his birthday or something? He’s dressed in black from head to toe, which isn’t unusual at all, but what _is_ unusual is the turtleneck, and the cape. A fucking _cape_. And fuck, is that supposed to be his Halloween look? Cause Calum kind of fancies seeing him wearing it all the time from now on. Like. He’d be completely happy if Michael never wore anything else. Calum would even give up on the black button up that he’d managed to make Michael wear once for Calum’s birthday earlier this year. And that’s saying something, cause Michael had looked like something straight out of Calum’s dreams then.

“Cal?” Michael says.

Calum blinks, remembers himself. “Right. Why are you like this?”

“Like what? You don’t like this look? It’s–”

“Believe me I have no fucking issue with the look. I kind of really wish you never stopped wearing the cape– It’s yours now, right? Cause you look fucking–” Calum clears his throat. He can keep that thought for later. “It doesn’t matter, that’s not what I mean.”

“Well what do you mean, then?” Michael frowns.

“Why would you eat all the fucking candy, Mike?”

Michael pales, if that’s even possible, and he pouts.

“You saw?” he asks, and Calum is confused as to why he isn’t more shameful of this.

“Of course I saw! Mike, it’s almost nine, people have already started knocking!”

“Oh.”

“I can’t believe you’re the one who loves Halloween to death and you ate all the fucking candy! What the hell, you know this is, like, the only part of this damn celebration I enjoy!”

“I know–”

“Aslo,” Calum breaks off, coming closer to his boyfriend. “Okay, yeah I’m a bit mad about this, but Jesus, how the fuck did you eat so much sugar in less than two weeks? Are you alright?”

Michael rolls his eyes. “I am, thank you very much. It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? There were like, 5 kilos’ worth of candy in there!”

“That can’t be right.”

“Well it is. Show me your teeth,” Calum says, reaching for Michael’s mouth.

Michael grimaces, pushing his hand away. “What? No! What are you, my dentist?”

“I just wanna make sure you're okay!”

“By checking my perfectly fine teeth, yeah, right.”

Calum scowls, and Michael rolls his eyes again as he makes his way towards the kitchen. Calum follows him, not as mad now that Michael’s here, but still put out.

“And why d’you take so long at Ashton’s anyway? I didn’t even know he was going to a party.”

“Oh, well, about that.” Michael turns towards him, handing him the bag he was holding and that Calum hadn’t taken the time to notice. “I didn’t actually go to Ashton’s.”

Calum frowns. “You didn’t? Then what–”

“Just look in the damn bag, Cal.”

Calum does, and, “oh.” The bag is full of candy. Like, actually full of bags of different kinds of candy. There’s enough to last them five Halloweens. Well, if Michael doesn’t eat them first.

“I did say I’d be here for the candy, didn’t I?” Michael says.

Calum lets out a chuckle. Maybe he isn’t going to kill Michael. Of course he went and bought this, probably because he felt super guilty about it. Calum feels bad for getting so mad about stupid candy now.

He says so to Michael, who shrugs him off, and together they open a few bags — Calum easily convinces Michael that half of them is way too much — and empty them in a huge bowl.

“Wait a second,” Calum says after leaving the bowl next to the door and getting comfortable on the couch. “Did you really take an hour and a half to get candy?”

“Hum, no?" Michael says, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. It doesn’t happen often, and Calum just fills with warmth at how cute it is when it does. “I kind of fell asleep on the couch for an hour.”

Calum raises an eyebrow, refraining from laughing. “With the night you had?”

“We went to bed at, like two am.”

Calum chuckles. “Yeah, but we still slept for a good ten hours.”

“What, I was tired, okay?” 

“You're always tired, babe. What would it take for you not to be?”

“I've got no clue, maybe sleeping for a week straight,” Michael shrugs. “Anyway at first I wanted to go right when I told you, cause I didn't want you to find out, but then I fell asleep and when I woke up it was late, and I had to go to the store on the other side of town cause I didn’t want to run into you if I came at your store–”

“Oh my god,” Calum lets out through a laugh this time, he can’t help it. “Did you really drive almost half an hour just to avoid me? Mike, it’s just candy!”

“Hey, you’re the one who got mad about it!”

“Yeah, okay,” Calum concedes, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Fair point. That was still stupid. But cute.”

Michael sticks his tongue out and they fall silent as he bends down to untie his shoes and take them off, and Calum can’t help but stare at him. There’s something about the pale of his skin contrasting with the black covering his body that is just so fucking pretty and endearing and so _Michael_. He's always radiated confidence dressed like this, and Calum may tease him when a streak of colour makes an appearance, but the truth is, Calum likes the black on him. Calum likes the black a lot, especially when it involves a turtleneck and a cape apparently. Calum finds himself thinking that if he were more sexually inclined, he'd wanna tear these clothes off Michael right now.

The thought just makes him snort.

“What?” Michael frowns when he's upwards again, socked feet finding their place on Calum's lap suddenly.

Calum shakes his head with a slight smile. “Nothing. Just– yeah, nothing. I love you.”

Michael shifts closer so that he's almost sitting sideways in Calum's lap, throwing his arms around Calum’s neck. 

“Oh yeah?” Michael asks fondly.

“Oh yeah.”

“How much do you love me?”

“I think,” Calum starts, pretending to think about it for a minute. “I think I love you a whole fucking lot.”

“Wow,” Michael chuckles. “So poetic.”

“Oh, shut up, you don't even like poetry!” 

“Does that mean I can't want my boyfriend to whisper sweet nothings to me?”

Calum rolls his eyes, but he can't help the smile that's stuck on his face, and when he looks into Michael's eyes all the teasing leaves him.

“Well then. I don’t know about poetry, but I know I love you so much my heart could burst with it. Every morning I wake up and you're here next to me looking so beautiful and _mine_ and I just– I thank my lucky star that I found you, or maybe you found me, and that I get to keep you by my side. That we get to share this house and be happy in it even though it looks like my nightmares right now. But in truth it doesn’t matter because it’s ours. We could live in the worst place there is and it wouldn’t matter as long as I’m with you. And mostly I’m just so grateful that you love me, too. So yeah, I love you a whole fucking lot.”

It's like the breath has left Michael from the moment Calum started talking, probably not expecting him to actually take Michael seriously, and Calum can see the moment it starts coming back and Michael blinks, not looking away from Calum.

“Then why,” Michael starts, voice tight, and Calum is so genuinely happy he still has that effect on him. “Why have I not gotten a kiss yet today, Cal?”

Calum thinks he should make a joke about how _that's_ Michael's response to Calum opening his heart out, but Michael is absolutely right. He cups Michael’s face gently, and bridges the gap between them, locks their lips together in a passionate, breathtaking kiss that makes Calum’s heart dance joyfully. Kiss which tastes incredibly, almost unnaturally sweet.

“Mike?” Calum asks when they break apart.

“Yeah?”

“You finished the candy today, didn't you?” 

“No?” Michael says, knowing he’s caught already.

“Oh? So you just naturally taste like strawberry Clouds?”

Michael shrugs. “They’re my favourite. They taste the sweetest.”

Calum hums. “As sweet as my love for you?”

“Shut up,” Michael counters half-heartedly, and maybe his cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink again. “As far as _candy_ goes, they taste the sweetest.”

“So you _did_ finish the candy today?”

“How did you think I’d realized today that there were none left? I finished that bag and I went to the cupboard to get some more and then I kinda went like, _shit_.”

Calum shakes his head with a laugh. “I can’t believe this is what you do when I’m not here. Sneaky little shit.”

“I’m sorry I ate all the candy,” Michael pouts. “I swear I won’t do it again.”

“Oh you bet you aren’t. If no one else comes knocking, which seems like what’s gonna happen, I’m throwing away all this candy and you’re not gonna eat any until next Halloween. At least.”

“You’re mean,” Michael pouts again. “You’re taking away my candy _and_ my Halloween house.”

“Okay first,” Calum starts after a quick peck to Michael’s lips, glad when it makes him scrunch up his nose adorably. “I’m not mean. I’m just looking out for your health. And second, I’m not taking away everything.”

Michael visibly lights up at that.

“Oh?”

“Don’t get too excited, emo boy. I’m removing everything from the house. _But_ ,” he insists when Michael’s about to complain again. “I’m thinking you could keep the cape. Actually, no, you can keep the whole look and do your eyes like that more often. I really like the messy eyeliner.”

Michael raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “So that would be for _your_ benefit, then?”

“Well, no, it’s for both of us–”

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t believe you,” Michael shrugs off. “It’s fine, though, cause I love you and I would love to wear this for you. And for me. But mainly for you.”

There’s a pause and Michael’s eyes are stuck staring into his suddenly, serious and bright as silence stretches on, and Calum is taken back to Michael’s birthday the year they met, almost four years ago now, when they’d spent the whole night talking on Michael’s doorsteps and ignoring the perfectly clear stars, too busy staring into each other’s eyes before something clicked and Michael had kissed him for the first time.

“I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t do for you,” Michael whispers, too honest for the moment, or maybe not, maybe he’s picking where Calum left off, but either way it's so _Michael_ Calum can’t help but pull him back into an easy, gentle kiss as a response.

“I– yeah. I mean, same. I love you so much,” he whispers against Michael’s lips afterwards, somehow stumbling on his words.

“You said that already,” Michael grins, and Calum can breathe again. He lets out a slight laugh. 

“I’ll say it as much as I want to. I love you. _I love you, I love you, I love you,_ ” he chants with the goofiest grin his face has ever sported until Michael has had enough and he almost tackles Calum on the couch with how much force he kisses him.

Even then Calum can’t say he successfully stops grinning like a fool, because Michael may be a menace but he’s _Calum’s_ , and there’s no one he’d rather spend his Halloween night in a terrible looking house with than his candy-eating boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos/comments are always appreciated! :)  
> also petition for real life michael to wear eyeliner again I viscerally need it


End file.
